Method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head

Abstract

An object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head in which a distance between a discharge opening and an energy generating element is uniform, simply and with good precision.

1. A manufacturing method of a liquid discharge head that includes a plurality of energy generating elements for generating energy to discharge liquid, a discharge opening member provided with liquid discharge openings, and a flow path that communicates with the discharge openings, the manufacturing method comprising the steps of:
 preparing a substrate having a head region in which a plurality of individual units, each of which corresponds to one liquid discharge head, are arranged adjacent to one another, and a peripheral region which is positioned on the outside of the head region and in which a plurality of individual units, each of which does not correspond to one liquid discharge head, are arranged, each of the plurality of individual units in the head region comprising an element film with dimensions that satisfy dimensions of one liquid discharge head and each of the plurality of individual units in the peripheral region comprising the element film with dimensions that do not satisfy dimensions of one liquid discharge head; 
 providing a solid layer on the head region and the peripheral region of the substrate; 
 forming a plurality of side walls of the flow path corresponding to the individual unit on the head region, and forming an outer wall member provided to surround the plurality of side walls on the peripheral region, from the solid layer; 
 providing a resin layer on a part that is to be the flow path so as to cover the side walls of the flow path and the outer wall member; 
 polishing the resin layer toward the substrate so as to expose the side walls and the outer wall member from the surface of the resin layer; 
 providing the discharge opening member so as to cover the resin layer and the side walls; 
 forming the flow path by removing the resin layer; and 
 removing the peripheral region from the substrate. 
 
     
     
       2. The manufacturing method according to  claim 1 , wherein the solid layer is a layer made of a negative-type photosensitive resin. 
     
     
       3. The manufacturing method according to  claim 1 , wherein the side wall and the outer wall member that oppose each other are substantially parallel to each other. 
     
     
       4. The manufacturing method according to  claim 1 , wherein the resin layer is a layer made of a positive-type photosensitive resin. 
     
     
       5. The manufacturing method according to  claim 1 , wherein the head region is a rectangular region. 
     
     
       6. The manufacturing method according to  claim 1 , wherein the peripheral region is removed from the substrate by cutting the substrate using dicing. 
     
     
       7. The manufacturing method according to  claim 1 , wherein a single liquid discharge head is obtained by segmenting the head region of the substrate. 
     
     
       8. The manufacturing method according to  claim 1 , wherein the peripheral region and a structure formed thereon are removed from the substrate. 
     
     
       9. The manufacturing method according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of individual units in the head region is provided with the plurality of energy generating elements in which the number of the plurality of energy generating elements corresponds to the number of the energy generating elements in one liquid discharge head, and wherein each of the plurality of individual units in the peripheral region is provided with the plurality of energy generating elements in which the number of the plurality of energy generating elements is less than the number of the energy generating elements in one liquid discharge head.